ODBC Connection to SQL Server

Status:	Published
Version:	1.0
Authors:	HTL QA
Applies to:	Core Services Version 3.1.x

If you currently have an existing Supportworks installation, and you want to copy the contents to another server with Supportworks installed and your first application database is housed inside Microsoft SQL Server, the first thing you will need is an ODBC connection to the new application database.

1...Set up a blank database inside Microsoft SQL Server.  
2...Add a new System DSN inside the ODBC Data Source Administrator (32-bit).  Take note its 32-bit, and NOT 64-bit.

The new DSN should have SQL Server as the driver. Provide all the required connection details.

1...Server name/ip address
2...credentials
3...default database. (Should be the new blank database, you've created in step 1.)

don't forget to test the connection. If you're attempting to copy the database, you could use swsqldbmig.exe which is found inside the Supporworks Server\bin folder.

If you want a fresh blank one, you'll need to start up the Supportworks Database Schema Editor. And do the following:

Click on Database\Manage Database Entities in the menu. On the Database Entities window, select the lone entry and click on the Edit button. Change the DSN value to the DSN you've created above. Click on OK until the Database Entities window disappears. Click on the Database\Apply Specification to Physical Database in the menu. In the Apply Specification to Physical Database window, click on Apply button. This should provide you with the database schema inside the new database. The tables should be there but there would be no data. Lastly, in the Supportworks Server Configuration tool. Under the Database tab, another tab (Application Database tab)roughly in the middle of the window, change the value of the DSN, using the ellipse(...) button to the DSN you've created above. Make sure the credentials are correct.

Once that is done, you can now try to start up the server.